Consumer Tip: Check into charities before you donate

You are visiting your local shopping center and see a person soliciting for an apparently worthy charitable cause. How can you tell if a solicitation for a charitable donation is legitimate?

Every solicitor for charitable purposes needs to provide you with the following:

 A photo ID identifying the solicitor and the name and address of the organization he or she represents

 A written verification that the charity is currently registered with the California Attorney General's Office Registry of Charitable Trusts with a current IRS 501 (c)(3) designation

 A copy of a current permit issued by your city or the county authorizing the solicitation within the city or county limits

If the solicitor lacks any of this documentation, you should consider contacting your local police department.

Before you donate to any cause, you might consider doing research on the Internet. Check for any Better Business Bureau reports at www.bbb.org and with the National Charities Information Bureau at www.give.org for any information on the organization.

Ask the solicitor for promotional materials, if any, and seek answers to your questions on how the donation will be used.

See if the written materials back up any of the verbal assurances by the solicitor.

More information is available through the Marin County district attorney's consumer protection unit at 473-6495 or through its website at www.co.marin.ca.us/da.